Emma Raducanu reunites with childhood coach ahead of 2024 return - Reports

British tennis star Emma Raducanu has reunited with childhood coach Nick Cavaday ahead of her return to the tour in 2024, according to recent reports.

Cavaday, a British former tennis player, has seemingly been assisting Raducanu at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. The Times, London reported:

"Nick Cavaday, a British former player, has been assisting the 2021 US Open Champion on court over the past week."

Raducanu's team, however, has not confirmed the development.

"While confirmation of Cavaday's involvement has not yet been offered by Raducanu's management, it would be unusual for another coach to suddenly step in at this late stage ahead of the new season," The Times wrote.

Indian tennis player Somdev Devvarman has reportedly joined the Brit's team too, as a hitting partner.

"With only 13 days until Raducanu's scheduled return to action at the Auckland Open in January, this is the first sign that she is beginning an attempt to assemble a support team for her trip," The Times added. "For several months, the 21-year-old has used a variety of LTA (London Tennis Association) staff members and hitting partners on an informal ad-hoc basis."

Interestingly, the 37-year-old Cavaday was the head coach at the LTA High Performance Centre in Bromley, London, from 2011 to 2014. That was where Raducanu trained during her early teens.

"Sources have suggested that Cavaday is on a short trial before a final decision is taken on whether he travels with her to New Zealand and then on to Melbourne for the Australian Open," The Times wrote.

Raducanu, who won the US Open in 2021, will be back in action at the ASB Classic in Auckland, which starts on January 1, 2024.

Raducanu has not played since losing in the first round at the Stuttgart Open back in April. The Brit missed most of the 2023 season after undergoing surgeries on her wrists and ankle.

Sidelined by injuries and rehabilitation, her ranking plummeted to World No. 299 at the end of this season, from a high of World No. 10 in July 2022.

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Emma Raducanu has changed five coaches in two years

Raducanu, the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era, has changed coaches at a remarkable rate, sparking criticism from tennis aficionados and experts.

The 21-year-old has changed five coaches over the past two years - Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, and Sebastian Sachs.

Emma Raducanu with coach Nigel Sears at Wimbledon 2021

Patrick Mouratoglou, who coached 23-time Grand Slam Champion Serena Williams for 10 years, is the latest critic of the Brit's revolving door policy with coaches. Mouratoglou told Sky Sports in an interview:

"You cannot change your tennis project every three months, it doesn't make sense."

When asked whether he would like to coach Raducanu, Mouratoglou stated that he has not thought about it. The Frenchman was quoted as saying:

"I haven't thought about it but all I can say is is she ready to trust someone? Can she trust a project and to follow that project for long enough to be able to make real progress that she needs to do in order to achieve her potential?"